A constitutional political act transformed a militaristic nation into a pacific one

Evidence

For centuries, the Swedes plundered other nations. People prayed for protection: “Deliver us, O Lord, from the fury of the Norsemen.” After a prolonged war with Russia that exhausted their resources, the Swedish populace rose up and forced a constitutional change, with kings prohibited from initiating military adventures (Moerk, 1995). This political act transformed a militaristic society into a peaceful one. Sweden is now a mediator for peace among warring nations. In keeping with Sweden’s pacific ethos, there is little violence in society. Cultural diversity and rapid transformative societal change lend support to the view that the answer to human aggression lies more in ideology than in biology. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 177 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Using the Constitution as a subversive object is one thing. Being limited by it is quite another. Ambedkar’s circumstances forced him to be a revolutionary and to simultaneously put his foot in the door of the establishment whenever he got a chance to. His genius lay in his ability to use both these aspects of himself nimbly, and to great effect. Viewed through the prism of the present, however, it has meant that he left behind a dual and sometimes confusing legacy: Ambedkar the Radical, and Ambedkar the Father of the Indian Constitution. Constitutionalism can come in the way of revolution. And the Dalit revolution has not happened yet. We still await it. Before that there cannot be any other, not in India. — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 104 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: A constitutional constraint turned militaristic Sweden into a peaceful society — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 177; Whole nations can transform from warlike to pacific within the same gene pool — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 176; Militarized societies can shape the state in the military’s image. (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• A constitutional constraint turned militaristic Sweden into a peaceful society #corroborates (0.98) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 177
• Militarized societies can shape the state in the military’s image. #complicates (0.78)
• Formal constitutionalism can obstruct rather than advance revolutionary change #complicates (0.75) — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 104